The present invention relates generally to a specialized emergency vehicle having an on-board medical imaging scanner and teleradiology system and to a method of operation associated therewith.
In most blunt and/or severe trauma cases, particularly those involving subdural hemotoma or internal bleeding, from, for example, auto accidents or a fall, the patient, is typically attended to in the first instance by emergency trauma technicians sent to the scene by an ambulance. Generally, these technicians obtain vital signs and statistics, stabilize the patient if possible, and transport the patient to an emergency room.
Once the patient arrives at the emergency room, if the blunt trauma and patient symptoms suggest any of the above conditions, the patient is then sent to the Radiology Department where, typically, a computed tomography (CT) scan is, in almost all cases, the diagnostic modality of choice. However, critical time passes during patient transport to the hospital. The chances of survival diminish in direct proportion to the amount of time that has passed since the initial trauma. That is, by the time the patient is transported to the hospital, a CT scan is performed, the images are read, and a diagnosis is made, the medical staff has lost critical time needed to save the patient. This is particularly problematic in rural areas where a patient may have to be transported many miles to the hospital.
Prior art CT scanner systems have been hardened and shock isolated to enable them to be used in various applications ranging from large mobile vans, trailers, relocatable vehicles, and, in the Gulf War, in transportable containers (such as iso-shelters) deployed by helicopter or truck. In this manner, CT scanners have been available as a diagnostic tool at various remote sites.
Various teleradiology systems are known. Teleradiology is the electronic transmission of radiological images from one location to another for the purposes of interpretation and/or consultation. For example, during the Gulf War, technicians or medics operated CT scanners in a remote location, and teleradiology systems were used to transmit the resulting images from the remote location to radiologists at a different location. In this manner, a second opinion could be obtained regarding the course of treatment for a patient.
However, due to limitations on the communication capabilities and on the ability to acquire images while the CT equipped vehicle is traveling, existing mobile teleradiology systems are incapable of acquiring CT images and transmitting those images to a treatment facility while the patient is en route to the treatment facility. In fact, the typical xe2x80x9cmobilexe2x80x9d CT vehicle is designed to be moved to a fixed site, such as a medical facility, used at that site, then moved to another fixed site for use at that site. Such transportable CTs are not designed to acquire images while in transit, and thus are ill-equipped to serve both as a mobile CT scanner and as an ambulance. Generally then, the need therefore continues to exist to provide a vehicle that is equipped to acquire medical images of a patient while in transit and to transmit those images to a remote location while the patient is en route to a treatment facility.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a specialized emergency vehicle, roughly the size of a large ambulance, is designed to contain all of the emergency and trauma equipment of a regular ambulance, but is also designed to contain a shock and vibration isolated medical scanner and a teleradiology system. The medical scanner is used to obtain medical images of a patient, and the teleradiology system operates to convert the medical images to transmittable medical image data and transmits the medical image data to a remote location while the vehicle is traveling.
The teleradiology system preferably includes a frame grabber coupled to the medical scanner and a digitizer coupled to the medical scanner and to the transmitter. It may additionally include a compressor which is coupled to the digitizer and to the transmitter and which is configured to compress digital data from the digitizer prior to transmission of the data by the transmitter.
In order to facilitate the transfer of a patient to and from the medical scanner, the vehicle may additionally include a patient support structure which is removably couplable to an imager tabletop and which serves as a mechanism for transferring a patient from a gurney to the imager tabletop.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a system is provided for remotely diagnosing a patient who is en route to a treatment facility. The system includes an emergency vehicle and a receiver and workstation located remote from the vehicle. The vehicle includes a mobile chassis, an enclosure which is disposed on the chassis and which forms a treatment/scanning bay, a medical image scanner which is located in the bay, the scanner being mounted on the chassis in a sufficiently hardened and shock isolated manner to permit medical image scans to be performed while the vehicle is traveling, and a teleradiology system which is located in the bay. The teleradiology system includes a computer which receives medical image data from the medical image scanner, and a transmitter which is coupled to the computer and which is configured to transmit medical image data while the vehicle is traveling. The remote receiver is configured to receive the transmitted medical image data. The workstation is coupled to the receiver and is configured to generate and display humanly discernable medical images from the data. The workstation preferably is configured to convert the received medical image data into a visually displayed modified medical image. It may be located either at the same facility as a treatment facility serving as a destination for the vehicle, or at a different facility.
In accordance, with still another aspect of the invention, a method is provided of remotely diagnosing a patient who is en route to a treatment facility such as a trauma center. The method includes obtaining medical image data from a patient in an ambulance or similar vehicle while the vehicle is en route to a treatment facility; transmitting the medical image data to a receiver at a location which is remote from the vehicle, and receiving the medical image data at the receiver. At the remote location, the transmitted medical image data is displayed in a humanly discernable manner and interpreted by a qualified physician, who then communicates diagnostic information either to the technicians in the vehicle or to the treating physicians at the trauma center. By providing diagnostic information to the treating physicians prior to the patient""s arrival at the trauma center, the patient can be routed directly to the operating room, or the intensive care unit as necessary, thereby saving valuable time. The patient can even receive some care in the vehicle based on the diagnoses before he or she reaches the treatment facility.
An important benefit of the invention is an improved patient survival rate due to the reduction in the diagnostic time required after the patient arrives at the trauma center. This invention allows critical patient data to be delivered to the relevantly trained physicians faster and more efficiently especially in life-threatening situations.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description and drawings.